Which Crown mic works with a sound card?

Which Crown microphone would be compatible with a computer sound card? I am not recording music. I want a quality similar to a radio announcer.
Rob U.

Reply: The Crown Sound Grabber is the only Crown mic that has a mini phone plug, which plugs into a sound card mic jack.

The Sound Grabber doesn't sound much like a radio-quality mic because it has a high-frequency peak. To reduce this peak, cut a small chunk of foam from a foam windscreen, and stuff it between the mic capsule and the plate. Experiment with the amount of foam until the sound is natural. Put a foam windscreen around the mic capsule and place the mic close to your mouth.

For better sound quality, I'd suggest using a high-end mic like the CM-700 with a hoop-type pop filter, or a CM-200A with a foam windscreen. Place the mic about 4 to 8 inches from your mouth. Since the CM-700 and CM-200A are condenser mics, they need phantom power, either from a Crown PH-1A phantom supply or from an audio mixer or audio interface that supplies phantom power.

Suppose you use a PH-1A phantom supply. Coming out of the PH-1A, the signal is balanced mic level. You need to make an adapter cable between the PH-1A balanced output and the sound card's unbalanced mic input. The adapter cable has a female XLR on one end and a stereo mini phone plug on the other. In the female XLR, solder a jumper wire between pin 1 and 3. Solder pin 1 to the cable shield. Solder pin 2 to the cable's hot conductor. In the mini stereo phone plug, solder the shield to the long lug, and solder the cable's hot conductor to the tip terminal.

If you use an audio mixer instead, come out of the mixer's unbalanced line outputs, through an adapter cable, to a stereo mini plug. Connect the plug to the sound card's line input. If you use a USB audio interface, connect the USB port on the interface to the USB port on your computer. Set up your sound-recording software to recognize the USB input device.